Self-supporting consumable hot top



Jan. 19, 1965 M. D. LA BATE SELF-SUPPORTING CONSUMABLE HOT TOP Filed Jan. 8, 1965 INVENTOR. MIC/76a] Dona/a La Baze i IE5 WV? w. WWW MWM.

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United States Patent 3,1653% SELF-SUFPGRTING CQNSUMABLE 1-101 T1 Micheal Donald La Bate, Kay Str, Wampum, Pa. Filed Jan. 8, 1963, Ser. No. 259,046 5 Claims. ((31. 22-447) characteristics of the device disclosed which is formed of four sections of consumable material that will retain the molten metal until it chills and sets and then burns away leaving only an ash residue thereby eliminating the necessity of removing the hot top from the cast ingot. More particularly, the four sections are so arranged that two of them may be suspended from the sides of the top of the ingot mold and the other two sections of the hot top may be positioned thereon and held thereby. Thus, the device when positioned partially within the top of an ingot mold is self-assembling and acts to hold itself in position and more importantly is capable of being rocked into position so that the several parts thereof conform closely to the side Walls of the ingot mold to prevent metal from entering between the hot top and the walls of the ingot mold. p

Consumable hot tops heretofore proposed in the art have been ineflective in use in that they did not always hold the molten metal adequately and more particularly their use required the molten metal to be within a limited temperature range. The use of the prior art consumable hot tops frequently found the same floating, therefore;

inefiective in maintaining a pool of metal on top of the ingot being poured and at that same time the metal frequently escaped upwardly between the hot top and the.

inner walls of-the ingot mold.

The present invention relates to an improved consumable hot top Which may be used with a wide temperature 7 range and will hold its shape and thereby maintain a pool of molten metal on top of the ingot as desired and at 'the same time the device will be securely seated in the ingot mold and arranged so that its bottom edges may be forcefully engaged against the ingot mold to insure a sealing relation therewith. v y

A furtherobject of the invention is the provision of a consumable hot top that may be quickly formed of a plurality of parts and held in assembled relation in the top of an ingot mold by the interrelation of the several parts of the hot top.

A still further object .of the invention is the provision of a consumable hot top formed of material most suitable for total'granulation and/ or consumption.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a consumable hot top incorporating consumable material adapted to produce a temperature when burning less .than that of the hot material contained. in the hot top. a

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a consumable hot top that will effectively receive and ice A still further object of the invention is the provision of a hot top that is of totally consumable and/ or destructiVe material and that can be produced and successfully used on ingot molds without a regard for the density of metal poured.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a consumable hot top which will prevent the formation of hanger cracks and pipes in ingots pouredtherein.

The consumable hot top disclosed herein comprises an improvement in the art relating to hot tops as used in ingot molds for receiving liquid metals such as iron and steel. In the formation of iron and steel ingots, it has long been customary to place a ceramic hot top on the ingot mold and which ceramic hot top receives and holds the uppermost portion of the ingot being poured and delays the cooling action of the metal so as to permit the metal in the ingot mold to chill and solidify without the formation of cracks or piping. The present hot top is formed of material which will be totally consumed shortly after the metal therein has solidified.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being the intention to cover all changes and modifications of the example of the invention herein hold liquid metal at temperatures as high as 3400" F.

chosen for purposes of the disclosure, which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a' perspective view of the self-supporting consumable hot top.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of one of the portions of the hot top seen in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3-is a plan view of another one of the portions of the hot top seen in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a bottom elevation view taken on line 44ofFIGURE3. j r

FIGURE 5 is a cross sectional elevation of a hot top according to the invention positioned within the upper end of an ingot mold and supported thereon with metal there- By referring to the drawings and to FIGURE 1 in particular, a perspective elevation of the improved hot top, may b'e'rseen audit will be observed that it is formed of two oppositely disposed identicalside portions 16 and 11 -,and. a pair of oppositely disposed identical end portions which recesses are adapted to receive the lower endsof a supporting hanger crank 16 as best seen in FIGURE 1 of the drawing. The upper ends of the hangercranks 16 are outturned as at 17 and adapted to overlie the uppermost surface of an.ingot mold M as seen in FIG URE 5 of the drawing. The sections 11 and 11 of the ingot mold are wider in their lower half portions than at their upper half and conversely the sections 12 and 13 are wider at their upper half than at their lower half so that the sections 12 and 13 may be positioned on and held in elevated relation in an ingot mold by the lower sections of the portions 10 and 11 of the ingot mold which are in turn' suspended by the hanger cranks 16, 16. It will further be observed that the upper sections of the portions. 10 and 11 of the hot top are tapered inwardly slightly and that the same is true of the lower sections of the portions 12 and 13 of the hot top. This provides V-shaped nar- I row openings between the ends of the. portions itl and 11 and the backs of-the adjacent portions 12 and 13 and which V-shaped openings are particularly receptive to wedge members 18, one of which is shown in FIGURE 1,

and two of which are shown in FIGURE 5, so that the respective end portions 12 and 13 may be wedged outwardly against the sides of the ingot mold as best seen in FIGURE of the drawings.

By referring now to FEGURES 2 and 3 of the drawings, plan views of the portions 19 and 13 may be seen an itwill be observed that they are identical "except that one of them is positioned in inverted position relative to the other. It is therefore possible to form the hot top disclosed in FIGURE 1 hereof in four portions of an identical shaped section, these four portions being numbered 10, 11, 12 and 13, it being observed that portions and 11 are positioned with their wider portions downwardly, while portions 12 and 13 are positioned with their wider portions upwardly.

In FIGURE 4 of the drawings a bottom view of the section It seen in FIGURE 3 of the drawings may be seen and it will observed that thc'vertical corners of the lower half of the same are rounded as at 19, E so that the hot top formed of four of such sections may be positioned in an ingot mold which may have rounded corners and at the same time be capable of sealing the molten metal within the hot top. The construction disclosed herein has a further advantage in that when the four sections are positioned in the open upper end of an empty ingot mold and the wedges 18 applied, the sections it ill, 12 and 13 of the hot top are firmly wedged in position and thus any floating tendency is precluded.

At such time as the molten metal is poured in the ingot mold as, for example, seen in'the cross section of FIGURE 5 of the drawings, the molten metal will rise upwardly into thev area of the hot top and form a liquid pool which will be held for a longer period of time than the liquid metal in the ingot mold M, thereby providing a supply of hot metal to prevent the formation of pipes and cracks and other irregularities in the body of the ingot being cast. After the metal has substantially chilled and set in its peripheral areas within the ingot mold and slightly inwardly thereof, the material of the hot top ignites and is consumed totally leaving only a powder residue which in no way effects the ingot and on the other rand provides a ready formed area facilitating the stripping of the ingot from the mold. V

Those skilled in the art will observe that combustible hot tops have heretofore been proposed and they will also be'aware ofthe fact that there are many elements which may be incorporated in a combustible hot top. An example of a desirable mix from which the hot top as disclosed herein may be successfully formed will comprise a batch including 40 lbs. of sawdust; 140 lbs; of raw dolomite; 80 lbs. of sodium silicate as a binder. This basic mixture may be altered by substituting an equal quantity by'wei ht of smallsizedwood chips, rice hulls or wheat kernels for the sawdust. A still further variation forming a suitable mixture comprises substituting sintered granulated blast furnace slag or finely ground fired clay (grog) for the raw dolomite in equivalent weight. It has alsobeen determined that a resin urea-formaldehyde in the amount of 50 lbs. by weight can be used as a binder, rather than the 90 lbs. of sodium silicate. Itwill occur to those skilled in the art that a number of variations in the mix of the consumable, hot top materialtherefore are possible.

In forming a hot top in accordance with this invention a basic mixture of the above-mentioned ingredients is made, for example, of sawdust and sodium silicate and the respective portions ll, 12 and 13 of the hot top are formed therein by molding the same therefrom. This mixture tends to dry and set and forms a reasonably durable structure capable of the intended use. Its resistance to breakage and crumbling is'remarkably increased by baking the same in a hot air oven for a suitable time to thoroughly dry and set the mixture.

The molds in which the individual portions are made have projections which form the recesses 14 and 15 and l 7 the sides of the molds form the tapering portions heretofore discussed so that four sections of material from the same mold may be combined as shown in FIGURE 1 to form the front and back sections it) and 11 and the side sections 12 and 13 of the hot top; the two hanger cranks 16, in; then added to complete the same.

When assembling a hot top in an ingot mold the front and back sections 1d and 11 are fitted with the hanger crank 16 and positioned 011 the opposite inner sides of the ingot mold as seen in FIGURE 5 and the side sections 12 and 13 are then lowered into position where they rest on the lower half portions of the front and back sections 19 and 11. Thus, the hot top is in place and self-supporting in the open upper end of the ingot mold as seen in FIGURE 5 whereupon the wedges 18 are positioned in each of the four grooves provided and the sections wedged into tight self-retaining relation in the ingot mold.

It will thus be seen that a consumable hot top has been disclosed which meets the several objects of the invention, and having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A consumable hot top comprising four identical solid pre-shaped sections of consumable material arranged in a walled structure having open upper and lower ends, each. of said identical sections having a wide lower half portion and a relatively narrower upper half portion, centered on said lower portion two of said identical sections of material being inverted relative to the other two sections and wherein said two inverted sections have their wide portions uppermost and loosely positioned on and supported by the wide portions of said other two sections, and wedges positioned between said sections acting to move the same apart to increase the size of said hot top.

2. A consumable hot top comprising a walled structure having open upper and lower ends and wherein said walled structure is formed of solid inverted T-shaped sections of consumable. material and wherein each of said sections has a wide base portion with a narrower centrally located upstanding body portion thereon and wherein the upper surfaces of said wider sections of said base portion are horizontally disposed and wherein each of the vertical edges of said narrower body portions is tapered inwardly toward the upper edge of said'body portion and wherein 7 two of said sections are inverted in assembly of said hot members are positioned between the ends of the narrower upper body portions of said first mentioned sections and the inner surfaces of the adjacent inverted sections and the relative position of the sections altered by said wedges to wedge the sections of the hot top into sealing engagement with the inner walls of said ingot mold.

4. A consumable hot top for positioning in an ingot mold and comprising a rectangular walled structure having open upper and lower ends and whereinsaid walled structure is formed of four sections of solid consumable material, each of said sections having a plurality of vertically spaced recesses in its outer surface and each of said sections having a relatively wide lower body portion and a relatively narrower upper body portion centered on said lower body portion and together forming the respective upper and lower halves of said section and wherein two of said sections are positioned in said ingot mold in oppositely disposed relation with their wide body portions downwardly and the other two of said sections are positioned in said ingot mold in inverted positionwiththeir wide portions upwardly so as to rest on the lower wide portions of the first two sections, the vertical edges of said narrower upper body portions being tapered, and

means for wedging said sections relative to one another to support same in said mold, said means comprising wedge members positioned between said sections for increasing 5. In combination with an ingot mold, a consumable hot top supported by and forming a continuation of the v upper end of said mold, said hot top comprising a first pair of oppositely disposed sections positioned in said ingot mold, hanger bars engaging recesses in the outer surfaces of said sections and the top of said ingot mold, each of said first pair of sections having a wider lower body portion and a relatively narrower centered upper body portion, a second pair of sections of the same configuration as said first pair inverted and oppositely disposed in said ingot mold with said inverted wider body portions resting on the Wider body portions of said first mentioned pair of sections and means for wedging said sections relative to one another so as to secure said four sections of said hot top in said ingot mold.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,501,655 Gathrnann et al. July 15, 1924 2,426,748 Rees et a1. Sept. 2, 1947 2,433,775 Marburg Dec. 30,1947 2,822,591 Hampe Feb. 11, 1958 2,858,588 Hoifman Nov. 4, 1958 3,103,046 La Bate Sept. 10, 1963 

4. A CONSUMABLE HOT TOP FOR POSITIONING IN AN INGOT MOLD AND COMPRISING A RECTANGULAR WALLED STRUCTURE HAVING OPEN UPPER AND LOWER ENDS AND WHEREIN SAID WALLED STRUCTURE IS FORMED OF FOUR SECTIONS OF SOLID CONSUMABLE MATERIAL, EACH OF SAID SECTIONS HAVING A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY SPACED RECESSES IN ITS OUTER SURFACE AND EACH OF SAID SECTIONS HAVING A RELATIVELY WIDE LOWER BODY PORTION AND A RELATIVELY NARROWER UPPER BODY PORTION CENTERED ON SAID LOWER BODY PORTION AND TOGETHER FORMING THE RESPECTIVE UPPER AND LOWER HALVES OF SAID SECTION AND WHEREIN TWO OF SAID SECTIONS ARE POSITIONED IN SAID INGOT MOLD IN OPPOSITELY DISPOSED RELATION WITH THEIR WIDE BODY PORTIONS DOWNWARDLY AND THE OTHER TWO OF SAID SECTIONS ARE POSITIONED IN SAID INGOT MOLD IN INVERTED POSITION WITH THEIR WIDE PORTIONS UPWARDLY SO AS TO REST ON THE LOWER WIDE PORTIONS OF THE FIRST TWO SECTIONS, THE VERTICAL EDGES OF SAID NARROWER UPPER BODY PORTIONS BEING TAPERED, AND MEANS FOR WEDGING SAID SECTIONS RELATIVE TO ONE ANOTHER TO SUPPORT SAME IN SAID MOLD, SAID MEANS COMPRISING WEGDE MEMBERS POSITIONED BETWEEEN SAID SECTIONS FOR INCREASING THE EFFECTIVE WIDTH OF THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID HOT TOP SO AS TO CAUSE IT TO CONFORM TO THE SHAPE OF THE TAPERED CAVITY OF AN INGOT MOLD IN WHICH THE SAME IS POSITIONED. 